St. Vincentian Whalers Learning New Vocation, but Bloodshed Continues

AWI continues to work with NGOs and individuals in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to bring an end to its cruel and wasteful humpback whale hunt. We are particularly supportive of local efforts to encourage the few remaining whalers to transition to a much more sustainable whale watching industry. In March, a team of five St. Vincentians, led by a government official and including a whaler, traveled to the Dominican Republic for training in how to establish and run a whale watch operation. Sadly, as they were returning home, news spread that two whales had been killed in SVG. So far this year four whales have been landed, in addition to another struck, but lost. In July 2012, the International Whaling Commission approved a quota of 24 humpback whales for SVG over the next six years.